


Silver Clouds

by MoonLightSkies16



Series: Naruto Stories [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: B still likes to rap, BAMF Naruto, Bamf Gaara, Evil!Jinchuriki, Gen, I just dont feel like putting them all in, Obito aint dead, Sasuke is actually in the village for a change, Their not really evil, Well - Freeform, actually all the Jinchūriki are BAMF, and everyone still thinks its annoying, but not the akatsuki you think, collab fic with someone else, everyone other than naruto, he got used to it, just mistreated and vengeful, no ships, the akatsuki are here, the jinchuriki all see eachother as family, there are others - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:48:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28442676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonLightSkies16/pseuds/MoonLightSkies16
Summary: Year after year, slowly, all the Jinchūriki, that once belonged to their own respective hidden villages, disappeared without a trace. Now, exactly 5 years after the last one went missing, there is a new dark organization on the rise. Will the Shinobi forces be able to stop them in time? Or will this new organization complete their goal? And... what IS their goal exactly?
Series: Naruto Stories [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2155524
Comments: 15
Kudos: 32





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is a collaborative fic that I'm doing with someone else. They write the chapter and I edit it. They're on wattpad under the username purplefairy092009. I did get permission to post this and this idea is mine, the other person just writes it and presents their ideas.
> 
> I don't usually write POV's like this, but I want to keep the original concept of the chapter before it was edited by me so please bare with it and let me know what y'all think.
> 
> I'm currently writing chapter 2 to Sage of Six Young Paths.
> 
> Part 2 of 'Moon' for The Adventures of Naruto and Hinata will probably be up either today or tomorrow, btw.
> 
> ~Enjoy~

_**Unknown POV** _

In a world full of hatred and love, there is, and always will be, revenge.

Revenge is a cruel thing, it kills those precious to you, and, as a result, you lose yourself to it.

Sadly, this is a regular occurrence in a place called the Shinobi World.

This Shinobi World that I speak of make weapons out of children and pawns out of the innocent. It's a place where there are endless wars.

And then, there are people like you and I.

Helpless, weak, inconvenient, useless. We serve no purpose other than to just _be._

And, while there are those looking for peace, there are others seeking out war. Did you know that, long ago, the ones who crave war and revenge and people who strive for peace and love, were once one in the same?

In fact, we _all_ were once people full of hope and light, but became vile creatures that are full of hate, greed, despair and suffering over time.

* * *

_**Sasuke POV** _

It's already been five years since Naruto disappeared.

I'm nearing 16 years old now.

And on top of that, it's already been close to 9 years since the Uchiha massacre.

While I'm not the last Uchiha- there is another named Obito who teaches me from time to time, the only reason _he_ survived the massacre was because of a convenient mission out of the village- that doesn't mean I don't get lonely from time to time. But, Obito-Sensei makes sure that I don't stay too depressed for long, he's a saint, really.

No one knows for sure where Obito came from or how he survived, since he was presumed dead up until a little after the Fourth Hokage died.

But, their best guess was that someone found him in the rubble, patched him up just enough so he wouldn't die, and then released him.

Obito says he doesn't remember much from that time, and that the face of the person who took care of him was always blurred or hazy when he thought back on it, so after a while, the village decided to leave it be and just be glad that he lived at all.

It's a fresh early morning in the Hidden Leaf Village.

The sky was as blue as could be and there was a small breeze coming through my open window, ruffling the bangs that lay atop of my forehead. The singing of birds as they danced together in the skies and the light, quiet chatter of people getting an early start of their day soothed my mind so much that I nearly fell back to sleep.

Deciding it best that I start my day as well, I get up from my warm bed and shuffle through my wardrobe for an outfit. I slip on a dark grey t-shirt and then a dark green Chunin vest over it with the Uchiha crest on the shoulders, along with a pair of black ANBU pants that are taped at the shins and dark brown Shinobi sandals.

Letting out a content sigh, I grab my Leaf Headband off the dresser and tie it snuggly around my forehead.

' _It's already been 5 and a half years since I became a Shinobi. Time sure does fly by, huh?'_ I think to myself.

Already, it seems like forever ago did we take the bell test. Well, no use thinking about that now, besides, I'm not really someone who likes to think about the past a lot.

I walk out of my room and into the kitchen in order to grab some food for myself before I start the day. I glance at the clock on the wall and inwardly curse, I'll be running late if I don't hurry up. Settling for simply eating an apple, I take a bite out of it, rush towards the front door and fling it open, nearly breaking my wall in the process.

Closing the door and locking it, I jog down the street as I make my way to training ground 7. A few days ago, Teams Asuma, Kurenai, Gai and Kakashi agreed to do a joint training session in order to push their own limits and test their abilities against different opponents since, even if they _were_ Chūnin now, they were still inexperienced on the battle field, and had to be ready for anything.

Arriving at the training ground, I see only Sai, Sakura and Ino there, waiting for the rest. I make my way over and sit myself down under the shade of a tree.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun!" Ino and Sakura said in unison, only to glare at each other right after.

Ugh, such a petty rivalry. And simply over a silly crush that should've faded years ago.

' _Honestly, can't they find someone else to fight over? Why did it have to be me?'_

"Hn." I reply to them, hopefully they'll get the message that I don't want to talk to them, but then again, they never do.

"How are you feeling about today's training, Sasuke-kun?"

"Oh shut it, Ino-pig, he's the strongest here, he has no reason to be worried! Besides, I'll be there to cheer him on if something _does_ happen, which it won't."

The two girls went back and forth about this and that, occasionally throwing a swing or two, not that he cared anyway, they were both so annoying.

"Mah... such a drag, fighting this early in the morning. Do they _have_ to be so loud?" Shikamaru says lazily, plopping himself down on the other side of me as he leans head back to watch the clouds.

"No use breaking them up now, they're ninja, they'll get over it eventually."

I hummed in agreement, girls can be such a pain to understand.

The third member of Team Kakashi walks over to us and also sits down, albeit, a little further away. The guy likes to keep his distance, I understand that, since I also like staying a bit farther from people.

His name is Sai and he, from what he told me, was an Anbu Black Op trainee before he filled in for Naruto when he disappeared.

I've always wondered why the loud blond suddenly vanished. And I'd sometimes wonder where he was at that moment, how he was doing, and if he was safe and enjoying wherever he ran off to.

After Naruto's absence, my academy class was informed of his status as Jinchuriki, since there was no use in keeping a secret for someone that was no longer there.

I'd read up on it a little, and quickly deduced that it's definitely not all sunshine and rainbows when it came to life for a Jinchuriki.

Every now and then, I'd find myself regretting how I acted in the past. ' _Maybe, if I wasn't so closed off and self-centered back then, I could've seen just how much he was suffering.'_

I didn't realize that Naruto was in pain until he was already gone. Only then did I notice the signs that were clear as day. I tried to ask people about what they thought of him or if they knew what he was like, but everyone would just say "He was a brat!" Or "I'm glad he's gone, he should've left a long time ago!" Or both.

"Sasuke." I hear Sakura say, "Are you alright? You've been spacing out more lately." she asks in a worried tone.

"Hn" I respond.

"I wonder why everyone's taking so long." I hear Sakura mumble.

I ignore her and think back to my former classmate.

_'Why did he just disappear on everyone like that, I mean I know the reason why but why didn't he tell anyone?_ _Did he even_ _have_ _anyone to tell?_ _Or-'_ My thoughts were cut off by none other than Sakura.

"You're late, you know! We were supposed to meet up 30 minutes ago!" Sakura yells at the last team to arrive, who just so happened to be Team Gai.

' _30 minutes?'_ I think, surprised. I didn't realize that's it's been that long. Sakura and Ino just kept on fighting and complaining about the time.

Neji Hyūga, the only Jonin among the Konoha 12, sighed. "We got caught up when a certain _someone,"_ Neji glanced at his teammate, Rock Lee, "Decided to nearly kill a civilian by doing a 'pre-training workout' on the edge of a roof top."

"Lee-kun, you really should be more careful." Hinata says quietly, obviously worried about her friend.

"I'll try my best, Hinata-san, and if I can't do that, then I'll do 500 laps around the village on my hands! And if I can't do that, then I'll-!"

"Ok, Lee! We get it!" Tenten cuts him off.

Jeez, why is everyone so annoying today all of a sudden?


	2. Where He Is Now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The writer that I'm collabing with won't be able to write as much as they have been due to school, so I don't know how many times a month this story will be updated. And I know i said id update my naruhina oneshot fic on thursday, but I hit a writers block and I don't know where to go from where I'm at, so plz just wait a little longer guys. Gomen! :c
> 
> ~Enjoy~

_  
Unknown POV  
_

Monsters are born out of both love and hatred.

There was once a boy who had never experienced love until he ran away from a place he used to consider his home. But when the boy would occasionally think about what his life used to be, he supposed that that place never really _was_ his home.

It wasn't welcoming at all, it wasn't soothingly warm or filled with happiness. There wasn't anything good about it, well, to him at least. His village, the place he was birthed and the only home he'd ever known, was -and still is- a cruel one.

The people there make killing machines out of their own kin and take no responsibility for it.

They try to kill the monsters _they_ made, not even taking into account said monster's own feelings, because of petty and selfish things like revenge.

The deaths of their loved ones is usually what sparks this nasty idea. The feeling of loneliness and the intense hold that grief and anger has on an individual is what drives them to do such things.

In all honesty, that boy is like them, also craving revenge. However, for a different reason than losing someone important to him.

It's cruel what people can do to a person, and that boy is a perfect example of this.

—  
Naruto POV

**_MONSTER_ **

**_DIE_ **

**_LEAVE_ **

**_DEMON_ **

**_BRAT_ **

All those memories, all the pain, it haunts me. No matter what I do, what I try, what I say, what I experience, those memories keep coming back, again and again and again and again.

It's already been five years since I abandoned The Hidden Leaf Village. To be completely honest, I do sometimes miss a few select people that were nice to me. Like Iruka-Sensei, and Teuchi-san, and his daughter Ayame-nee-chan.

I miss them, yes. But I don't regret leaving. Not in the slightest.

My comrade-no, my brother- was sitting against the tree directly to the left of mine.

I sigh as I eat the left over rations that we got a few days ago- it also happens to be ramen, my favorite food ever. Gaara, the brother I was talking about, was also eating ramen.

We're currently deep in a forest since it's one of the best places to hide while traveling, mostly because not a lot of people explore the forests at night, apparently it's where all the creepy stuff happens. Not that I can blame them, it _is_ pretty sketchy at night.

We're both wearing black cloaks with blood-red clouds. It's easier to hide the blood stains with black clothing, and the red is just for some dramatic flare. I don't complain, I like it.

I reached into the cup-o-ramen with my chopsticks to grab another noodle, only to realize there weren't any more.

"Hey, Gaara."

I call over to Gaara, trying to get his attention.

"Let me guess, you want some of my ramen?" He asks while shifting his eyes to look at me.

"How did you-"

"Naruto, every time we eat ramen, you always ask for some of mine." He deadpans.

"I- uh- can I still have some?" I ask sheepishly.

He just looks at me, then sighs while moving his cup directly in front of me.

"Thank you, Gaara!" I say before pulling out some noodles and happily eating them. Well, I guess there _is_ something that chases those memories away.

Once we both finished our small dinner, I put the cups to the side and look at the star-filled sky.

The stars are so bright tonight. I mean, compared to everything else on Earth, I guess. But, now that I think about it, it's probably just as bad up there as it is down here.

Why do I think that? Well, because everything is affected by humans, one way or another. People say that animals are savages and beasts that only care for themselves, when in truth, humans are worse than that.

While, animals rely on instinct to survive, and usually only kill when it's needed. Humans kill for fun. Humanity is the worst thing to ever exist, and that's a definite fact.

I look back to Gaara, then to the forest. There are a couple of deer happily prancing about, trapped in their own little world.

' _At least not everywhere is affected.'_ I think to myself while a soft smile grazes my lips.

"Alright, I guess we should get going now." Gaara nods in agreement. We stand up and after a small talk, decide to head to the nearest village, which is now our first target.

The reason we were in the forest in the first place was because we were taking a break from researching, which also happens to be my least favorite thing to do.

We're researching mostly just the Jutsu's that every village, big or small, held.

The village that we're going to is very small, so I don't think there will be much trouble.

Gaara thought it was a good idea to research Justu, just in case someone uses one that we can't identify, therefore, we won't be able to effectively counter it. I think it's a good plan, but I hate the process.

But alas, it's essential for our future plans. And I'll do _ANYTHING_ to complete them.

Of course, me and Gaara weren't _always_ together. We had our own lives and we didn't actually come together until fairly recently.

You see, we took over a group called The Akatsuki about 4 years ago(4 years ago is pretty recent if you ask me). It wasn't originally ours -hence the "taking over" part- it once belonged to these people named Konan, Nagato, and Yahiko, who are actually still alive to this day.

They were apparently students of a man named Jiraiya, who also happened to be the sensei of my late father.

And Jiraiya -if I read correctly, Gaara knows I don't like reading- is one of The Three Legendary Sannin.

The Three Legendary Sannin are Orochimaru -I don't know his last name-, Tsunade Senju and, like I said before, Jiraiya- oh yeah, I don't know his last name either, did that book ever say?

Orochimaru is the only rogue Shinobi on their team, apparently. But with how much the other two are gone from the village, I really wouldn't be surprised if they technically were rogue.

Oh, Gaara and I are not, in fact, the only ones in the Akatsuki, there are other Jinchurki, much like us, who ran way from their Hidden Villages.

I think of them like the family I never had, but I still wonder about the people from Konoha from time to time.

Wondering if they are happy that I'm gone, they were never fond of me, they hated me, no, hate doesn't even describe it.

They hate me and I hate them right back. With a few exceptions. Like, for example, Iruka-Sensei, he didn't like me all that much in the beginning, but he was able to push past his harsh feelings for me and ended up staying by my side no matter what they said, and even supported my idea of running, for he believed that I'd be able to find true happiness outside the village walls.

I already mentioned Teuchi-san and Ayame-nee-chan. But I think I left out Konohamaru.

If I didn't explain earlier, Teuchi-san and Ayame-nee-chan are the people who own Ichiraku Ramen. And they were the only ones who would let me eat their food and not raise the price, and eventually we became good friends.

Konohamaru is this kid I met while escaping the never ending wrath of some old hags that got their granny panties in a twist because I had paint bombed their yoga session.

In short, I ran and hid and Konohamaru followed me, we talked for a while and became friends. He's like a younger brother to me and I'm pretty sure he thinks of me as his elder brother.

That place where I hid also quickly became the place where we would meet up, although it was dangerous, because the place where we would meet up just so happened to be the infamous Forest Of Death.

All of my precious people supported me leaving, Konohamaru even tried to come with me. Teuchi-san and Ayame-nee-chan gave me they're limited edition instant ramen to make sure I don't starve the first couple of weeks, which I'm forever thankful for. So if I had a choose between them and revenge, I would pick them.

But if I had a choice to save the civilians... well, let's say it wouldn't end well for them.  
_


	3. The Past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm nearly done with my NaruHina oneshot, so it'll be up as soon as possible. This chapter is a bit longer than the others, so just tell me in the reviews if I made any mistakes or if I need to change anything.
> 
> Trigger warning (blood/blood stains, fear)
> 
> ~Enjoy~

_  
 ** _Unknown POV_**

When I was a boy, I once thought that everyone deserved at least some level of respect. But, if you ask me now, as an adult, I'd admit that I was very naive back then.

Oh, what a stupid, ignorant, clueless person I used to be not too long ago.

There was a time when I, too, hated the one named Naruto. Even if I _was_ the boy's current Sensei, it mattered not.

At the time, I had seen Naruto as nothing more than the Kyubi incarnate. But, that childish way of thinking changed when I took the time to observe what people were actually doing to the poor boy.

Most shop owners would deny the boy entry to their stores and restaurants. Mothers would hide their children from him and fathers would quickly guide their kin away and whisper to them "make sure you never play with that boy at all costs ok?" and the child would obey without a second thought. Some even went as far as throwing their grocery items at Naruto and growl out insults at him.

And the kid would take it all without any resistance.

That was when I stubbornly decided to try and look past the demon part of the blind boy.

It was when I wanted to try and make Naruto's life at least a little more bearable, because no one should go through that kind of treatment. Not even the Kyubi's container.

I started to soften my mood around him. I'd help the boy to the best of my abilities without showing favoritism, and I'd even gently correct the boy if he made a mistake during academy classes. For a while, it was going well, and I was genuinely proud of myself, and, I'd admit that the kid _was_ growing on me a bit.

All was good, until I found myself standing upon a group of brave (or more like stupid) civilians beating the poor boy -who had never done anything to them- yelling "MONSTER" or "WHY DID THE SANDAIME EVEN LET YOU STAY HERE, YOU FILTH".

When I heard that, my blood boiled. Some that witnessed what I did would say that I was angry, but angry was an understatement.

It was October 10th, the day of the Kyubi Matsuri (九尾まつり) otherwise known as the Nine-Tailed Festival, and I also knew it was Naruto's birthday, so I decided to grab a gift for him. Which is how I stumbled upon this heart-wrenching scene.

"Naruto!" I shouted as I ran toward him, accidentally dropping the small present I got for him. I push past the few people that were there and slide my hands under the boy's arms, picking him up and cradling him close to my chest. I quickly adjusted my grip to make sure he was secure and then I took off running. Not stopping until I got us both to the warm safety of my apartment.

Once I was within the protection of my living room, I breathed a sigh of relief and look down at the boy still in my arms, only to barely recognize him.

He was head-to-toe covered in his own blood from the various wounds, both small and large, that littered his little frame.

' _Crap, I need to stop the bleeding, and soon.'_

At this point, I was thanking Hatake-san for recommending medical training to me back when I was still actively taking missions.

Setting Naruto down gingerly on my (why did it have to be white!?) sofa, I speed walk to the bathroom, not even bothering to take my shoes off, and rummage around the cabinets for the first aid kit I knew I kept in here.

Upon finding it, I bring it to the living area and quickly get to work. Cutting off his already ruined shirt and rolling up his pants to just past the middle of his thighs, I disinfect the cuts as thoroughly as I could. There were a few large lacerations that needed stitches, but I didn't have those, nor did I know how to use them, so I simply cleaned around the wounds and pulled them closed with medical tape.

By the time I was done, nearly all of Naruto's body was covered in gauze and bandages. Wiping the nervous sweat off my brow, I take the time to really get a good look at the boy in front of me. He was still unconscious and his breathing was labored, he most likely needed professional medical attention, but I couldn't go to the hospital, since I doubt they would treat him properly, especially considering it's the 7th anniversary of the Kyubi's attack.

' _I should probably move you somewhere more comfortable than my couch, besides, I gotta clean it now, thanks to all the blood.'_ I thought tiredly.

Carefully scooping him up into my arms, I make my way to my bedroom and lay him down on the small twin-sized bed, being sure to cover the boy with blankets in order for him to regain some of his original body heat.

Sitting cross legged on the floor beside the bed, I tried to calm my nerves down because, in truth, I was scared -no, terrified, wait that's not the word either. What was it? Fear! Yes, fear! And from what I could tell, it was a fear that was not able to be put into words.

I hated myself for hating him, -even if it was in the past now- for not seeing that he is _not_ actually the Nine-Tailed Fox. Oh, how stupid I was.

I saw my students breathe hitch a little as his eyes fluttered open, taking a quick, drowsy scan of the foreign room he was in.

"Naruto, are you alright?" I whispered to him, hoping to catch his attention, but the only reaction I got from the boy was him flinching and shakily trying to hide himself under my covers.

"Naruto, it's alright, I'm not gonna hurt you. Would you like some water or maybe a little food?" I explained softly, I wanted him to feel welcomed and safe enough not to hide, though that might be trickier than I initially thought. I get up from the floor and sit myself down on the side of the bed, patiently waiting for an answer, but it never came.

I tugged on the blanket a little in order to tell him it was alright to come out, however, it just made him start shaking as he curled even further into himself.

I felt the urge to hug him and tell him that everything will be okay, that I'm here and I wouldn't ever hurt him.

But I couldn't, because if I tried, I would probably end up scaring the boy more. "Naruto, please, I promise I'm not going to hurt you." I tried to reason with him, but all he said in return was a quiet, "That's what they all say..."

I opened up my arms as an invitation for a hug, however, his young and wounded mind misinterpreted it as a sign for incoming physical abuse, and as a result, he flinched again, fear evident in his shining, innocent blue eyes, and dug himself further into the covers as if it was a barrier.

I finally felt for his shoulders from the outside, and when I found them, I pulled him up and hugged him into my torso, though, not too tightly because of his injuries.

Naruto started to silently cry from under the blankets, either from fear or from longing, I couldn't tell.

My arms held him securely and my right hand came up and ran through the boy's currently dirty yellow hair.

He didn't move, nor did he say anything, he simply hiccuped occasionally from the pain his lungs and his heart. I think he was in shock.

"Shhhhh," I cooed, "Don't worry, like I said, I won't hurt you." I say reassuringly, resting my chin of the top of this head in hopes of comforting and calming him.

"I-I'm s-so sorry, that I couldn't- I mean, that I didn't- I-" I was stumbling on my own words, struggling to get a simple sentence out without stuttering or messing up. While I was finding the words, I felt the boy's arms reach out of the blankets and wrap around me, by now, the boy was openly sobbing. He was hugging me as tight as he could and gripping my shirt like a life line.

"T-t-thank you, I-Iruka-Sensei." I hear him say between his bouts.

"No need to thank me, Naruto." I say.

I didn't expect him to forgive and thank me that easily, especially when I used to treat him just like everyone else. Though, I suppose it's because he had no one to look out for him.

I hug him a little tighter to my chest as he calmed down enough.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty? Or do you just want to go to sleep?" I whispered.

My student shakily sucked in somewhat deep breaths, you can only do so much with bruised ribs I guess, so he would be able to gather his bearings again.

He was still sniffling wetly, but I didn't mind. Sliding his head from under the sheets, he looked up to me, "I-I'm hungry, a-and I'm thirsty." He was stuttering, mostly because of his show of water work.

Chuckling softly, I continued, "Would you like anything specific?"

It took very little time for the kid to think it over and give me an answer, "Just w-water and ramen is f-fine, Sensei." A small yet very genuine smile appeared on the boy's face, though it was supposedly hidden, I still saw it.

Naruto was only 7 at the time, well, more like he just turned 7 because it was his birthday.

"Ok, I'll get you some. Is that all?" I said in a smoothing voice, he nodded his head 'yes', "alright, you can lay down and rest in the mean time."

Reluctantly, he let go of me and laid down, hiding himself under the covers once more, though this time, he left didn't cover his face.

"Does it still hurt?" I ask, concerned, "N-not as much as it did. It s-still hurts thought." He answered.

Good, his wounds were healing, thank goodness for the Kyubi's healing.

I stood up from my spot on the bed and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water and heat up some ramen. Sadly, I only had instant cup ramen, but I'm sure it would be fine.

Once I had made the ramen and poured the water, I walked back into my room, I called the boy's name quietly, telling him that his food and water was here.

He sat up little by little. Thankfully he was still in bed, the kid really needed to rest.

I put the ramen on the bedside table and offered Naruto the cup of water. As he brought the cup to his lips, I instructed him to drink it slowly, he wouldn't want to throw it up right afterwards now would he?

Ramen was next. Handing him the food in exchange for the cup, he ate it at a relatively slow pace, heeding my warning.

Now that I was looking for it, I couldn't help but notice how underweight Naruto was. I could count nearly all of his ribs and could see his hip bones poking out from his the sides of the bandages.

 _'He probably isn't eating the way he's supposed to. I know that the owners of Ichiraku Ramen let him eat there a lot, but I really need to teach the kid that he can't live off of just ramen. If he continues like this, he'll just make himself sick! Naruto probably doesn't have a caretaker, so maybe I could make a few of his meals, I wouldn't hurt to try, would it?'_ I think, not taking into account the boy's intense hatred for vegetables.

Once he finished, I grabbed the empty ramen cup, and put it to the side to throw away later.

I hear him yawn, "You should sleep now. Rest is crucial for the healing process. Besides, you're clearly tired from such an... 'eventful' day." I inform him. He just looks at me with wide eyes before finally mumbling a "thank you" while looking down at the bed sheets. His fists clench and he glances back up at me. "Where will you sleep?" He asked, "Don't worry about me, just sleep" I try to reassure him while guiding him down and tucking him in. His eyelids started to grow heavy. So I got up to leave the room.

However, just before I left, I turned around to make sure he was still comfortable, only to see him snuggle into my pillow.

' _That was adorable.'_ I thought, just barely managing to keep my heart from melting at the sight.

After I saw that, I left to sleep on my now-blood-stained couch


	4. Camellias

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaara’s past. A new, temporary friend. And a new love for camellias.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Blood, detailed account of murder, sadness, child neglect(what's new.), extremely long chapter.

_**Unknown POV** _

* * *

In an Earth filled with love, hate casts its long shadows behind it, patiently waiting for the right time to strike its next victim.

Whether it be hatred towards others, or hatred towards yourself, it ends up killing everyone eventually.

Mentally at least.

You'd be surprised by the amount of people who've lost themselves to the unforgiving, cruel, depressing path of revenge.

It's an incredibly difficult path to go on, especially if you hold a lot of hatred in your being.

This can happen to anybody. And it _has_ happened to people before. Too many people in my honest opinion. And once you come in contact with it, it can change your view on the world. The experience... enlightens you, per say.

* * *

_**Gaara's POV** _

I'm traveling with a teen, about my age, named Naruto. We first met a few years ago, along with some... additions.

We're currently walking deep in the forest. Why are we in a forest? You may ask. Well, Naruto and I are heading to a small village near the 'Obake no mori' as some people call it. Obake no mori is the forest we're currently in, if you didn't put that together already. And, at the pace we've been going, we shouldn't be too far from the village now.

I look to Naruto and see him thinking deeply about something. What could he be thinking about? I wonder. I'm not usually one to think of past events, but looking at the blond next to me reminded me immensely of my childhood.

You see, I consider Naruto and a few others to be like my found-family, but sometimes, there's a certain nostalgia that rings in my head. And most times, it's not the good type.

The village I originated from was, and still is, a rude and vile one. This place happens to be Sunagakure, or The Village Hidden in the Sand, one of the five major hidden villages.

I'm not one to think about my origin a lot, like I said earlier, but, it's hard not to at times.

* * *

_~Flashback Begin~ (it's a long one ladies and gentlemen)_

It had just struck noon in the hidden sand village, and noon is known to be the most active time for young and old alike.

Kids were running around and playing, overall just enjoying their time outside.

I wanted to go play with them too, but alas, I knew it was pointless for me to try. They would just end up scrambling and tripping over their own two feet in order to get away from me. Just like they always do.

I was clutching a teddy bear, digging my finger nails into its now matted and old fur. It was one of my more prized possessions. Although, I'd bet that if someone else owned it, they would be interested in it for a week max and then drop it to move in to the next brand new toy. I wouldn't do that though, it's special to me, for reasons even _I myself_ don't know or haven't figured out.

I slipped away from my spot on the swing set, now heading back to the Kazekage Estate.

As I pass through the crowded streets, I hear the inevitable whispers that follow me everywhere I go. They surround me as they're muttered back and forth between civilians and shinobi alike.

"Honey, you see him? I want you to stay away from him when you play with your friends, ok? He means nothing but trouble."

"Ugh, the only reason he's still allowed here and in some bunker somewhere is because he's the Kazekage's son. They really should lock him up."

"Why isn't he dead already, the brat's nothing but a burden to us and the sand's reputation."

I started to pick up the pace a little bit, my earlier stroll turning into a light jog. Don't get me wrong, it's not like I wasn't used to this, but it still hurts to hear it on a day to day basis. Sure, it doesn't hurt as much as it did when I was a bit younger, however, it's still painful.

I'd bet that even the most pain killers in the world can't fully subside the stabbing feeling that's pokes and prods at my heart. At least, not in this world.

Upon reaching the general area of the estate, I spot a familiar face among the rushing crowd.

"Temari?" I murmur, confused.

Temari, my older sister and the eldest child of the Yondaime Kazekage, has sandy blonde hair held up in four ponytails, dark-forest green, pupil less eyes and was currently learning how to use a fan as a weapon, somehow.

As for the fan itself, I'd only seen it once in passing. It had three magenta-ish violet circles, was incredibly large and was mainly used for wind style justu.

If you don't know what 'justus' are or what 'chakra' is, I'll give you a quick, watered down explanation.

Essentially, Chakra is your life force, you could say. It's used in everyday life for everyday tasks. Everyone gives off a little chakra constantly. And, for ninja, that life force is also the main source for justus, which is basically converting that energy into something more physical.

The easiest and most efficient way of converting your life force into something physical, is by weaving specific hand signs in specific patterns. Even though it _is_ indeed the easiest way, it's still really hard and takes hours upon hours of practice in order to learn a jutsu.

Ok, enough with that.

I duck into an empty alley near where my sister just passed by, waiting for someone else to come.

Ah, there he is.

Trailing not too far behind my big sister is my older brother, Kankuro.

Kankuro, the middle child, is wearing a hood with two cat ear-like triangles on top of them. He also has the standard Suna Shinobi war paint on his face. I'm not really to familiar with the meaning of it, but I know that it's pretty common among Shinobi and ninja-in-training.

Speaking of ninja-in-training, I, myself, am enrolled in a private Shinobi academy.

Why private? Because who would be around something that other people frequently call a demon? Even though I look _nothing_ like the demon I hold nor like how I imagine an actual demon would look like. My short, messy, bright red hair and sea foam green eyes look pretty human to me. But alas, people can't tell the difference between the Ichibi and a 9 year old boy simply because I possess sand that has somewhat of a mind of it's own.

Sighing in relief once my siblings are out of sight, I carefully step back out the alley way, once again moving towards the Kazekage residence that's now about 30 feet away... only to find my father talking with a few tokubetsu Jonin at the front gate.

Gasping in surprise, I quickly hide again behind a food stall. Why was he out here? He rarely went outside of his office, let alone the estate itself! Growling, I decide to go straight back to where I came from. I don't feel like confronting the Kazekage today. After all, I hate him, and he hates me, so why bother getting lectured by him for going out without proper supervision?

My hatred for the man began after an incident happened between us. The near immediate aftermath of that day resulted in me creating a metaphoric shell around myself.

I completely blocked out everyone around me because I was scared that if I let someone come too close to me, they'd end up betraying me in some way, shape or form.

As I traveled back to the playground, I thought over my options. I couldn't leave the village. At least, well- I could, nothing was stopping me. But, this is my home, the place where I grew up and the only home I've ever known, no matter how crappy.

I also think it would be harder to live out in the world on my own, jumping from town to town, village to village, trying to find a suitable place to stay indefinitely. But, then again, what could possibly go wrong? After all, I may look like an untrained, wet behind the ears, ninja rookie. The truth, however, is that I probably wouldn't hesitate to kill someone who threatens my wellbeing.

Some may say I'm evil, or sick, or mad, but I prefer the term 'morally grey'. Meaning I'm not evil, nor a heaven sent. I'm somewhere in between.

To be honest though, if given the chance, I would probably kill all the people in this village, only sparing the infants, because they're innocent, and the animals, because they are also innocent. Really, just because I want to play with all the other kids, doesn't mean I like them.

Upon reaching to swing set that I was at earlier, I sat down and settled for doing absolutely nothing. What was there to do, after all? I'm treated like a monster for something I have zero control over. It's so unfair that it makes me nauseous sometimes. I hate it, I really do.

That's why I want to leave. Believe me, I really want to get out of this place, but something is keeping me tied to this place. Some unknown force keeps telling me to stay, that it'll get better one day, even though I know it won't, I can't help but tell myself everytime I think about leaving that 'maybe if I stayed one more day, people will start seeing _me_ and not the monster I hold'. It's hopeless dreaming, I know, that's why I'm so conflicted.

The sky faded into lavender blues and sharp oranges, reds and yellows as dusk rapidly approached. Figuring it's about time to head back, I slide off the seat of the swing and take my sweet time getting to the main street.

Once I reach the road, I temporarily stop to analyze the pedestrians in the nearby area, and for once, I'm not exactly sure what they're talking about.

Silence spreads quickly as they realize I'm there. They look at me and I look straight back at them, returning their glares two fold. After what felt like a few minutes but was probably only about 15 seconds, they stop staring at me and went on talking about anything and everything that didn't involve me. Completely ignoring me.

That was another thing they liked to do, ignore me. Pretend I wasn't there. Like I was a ghost or invisible. Except this time, they weren't doing a very good job, as they kept stealing glances at me when they thought I wasn't paying any attention.

This is strange. Stranger than it should be. Stranger than it usually is.

I continue to walk, and, one after another, they loosely follow, nearly dozen meters behind me. I tried to call them out, but every time I turn back to accuse them, they would act as if they weren't just tailing him all the way down the street. But I could feel their eyes bore into my back, like a hawk watching it's prey.

I keep on making my way home... and they keep on following. Finally deciding to confront them, whether they deny it or not, I turn around to face them.

"I know some of you are following me." I say calmly. They don't respond, continuing to 'talk' amongst themselves and hide in the crowd, not surprising.

Deciding to just let it go for now and to concentrate on getting home as fast as I could, I turn my calm walk into a light jog, still being wary of my surroundings. As a near the estate and the street population dwindles down, a kunai knife gets thrown at me, thankfully my sand protects me and I ship around to face the assailants.

And there they are, 4 Suna shinobi, set in defensive stances with their teeth bared and their eyes cold as ice.

"What do you want." I deadpanned, sending them my own cold stare.

"We want you dead." The leftmost ninja growls out.

Typical, of course they want me dead. Who doesn't? My siblings? They're a gamble. My father? He's the one that sent people to kill me in the first place, something about killing me to find a new, more suitable vessel. The village? They'd want me burned on a stake in the middle of town, on display for all to see.

It's not like it matters whether they want me dead or not, I didn't care, I'm pretty hard to kill.

"I wonder if all the other Jonin that Kazekage-Sama hired were all pushovers. This kid'll be a breeze to kill." Teases the man on the innermost right.

"A true shinobi shouldn't reveal themselves to the enemy unless instructed to. And based on your attitude, I'm guessing you weren't told to present yourselves to me?" I deduce.

A look of annoyance and anger flashes on all of their faces as the men crouch lower to the ground and coil their legs for action.

"Why you _little_ _ **brat! Don't get cocky!**_ " The same shinobi yells, springing his body toward me, intending to kill me quickly. I dodge to the right as he slashes downwards, aiming for the artery in my neck.

After dodging the attack, I spin on my heel and begin to walk away.

' _I shouldn't get involved, even if they do infuriate me. It's better to stay as clean as I can rather than go on a killing spree, besides, the estate isn't too far away now, I should be able to make it back before dinner.'_ I muse to myself, humming in mock boredom.

"Oi! We ain't finished with you yet! We're just getting starte-" the annoying shinobi never got to finish his sentence as he's quickly engulfed in my sand and squeezed to death.

"You know what, I was gonna stay out of this, but I figured that since I'm leaving soon..." I turn my head around to look at them, my eyes akin to that of someone who had gone mental, "I might as well have as much _fun_ as I can before I go."

The fully grown Jonin are practically shaking on their shoes by now. But it seems that father hired some gutsy men this time, as they decided to still proceed to ambush me.

The fight itself didn't last long. It ended with all the remaining shinobi reduced to nothing but puddles of blood on the ground. Someone's have to clean that up.

I freeze as I pick up in a sound that wasn't there a second ago.

Foot steps.

A lot of them.

Pounding on the ground, on the roof tops, everywhere. And based on how loud they are, I would say that they're all rather seasoned shinobi. Shinobi I probably can't even hope to beat.

' _Don't tell me... those four were decoys!'_ At this point, I'm sprinting towards the entrance of the village. If I could get away now, then maybe they'll stop chasing me after a while. After all, they can't go a certain distance from the village without consent from the village leader.

From a distance, I can hear commands being shouted out and weapons being readied. As a precaution, I form a sphere if sand around myself, hoping to stop any preset attacks.

_*Tszzzzzz*_

A sizzling sound coming from somewhere to the right of me has me rushing to reinforce my shield.

' _A paper bomb.'_

These people are really going all out today, aren't they.

The shock from the explosion blasts me forward and closer to the eastern entrance gate. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I book it to the cliff like walls with a large split down the middle.

By now, I'm pretty sure the barrage of shinobi were only a couple hundred feet behind me and were gaining gaining on me quickly.

' _Ok, I got one chance to ensure my escape and I know exactly how to do it. I wish I practiced it more, but it takes a lot of chakra control and I can only hold it for about 5 minutes, tops. Crap, I gotta make this count.'_ I calculate, readying my chakra, my sand, and clutching the stuffed bear I forgot I was carrying closely and firmly to my chest.

' _Only 10 seconds I reach the end of the tunnel.'_ I counted down, starting from 10.

_'10..'_

All the shinobi were now visible and only a couple dozen feet behind me.

' _9...'_

They're getting closer.

' _8...'_

Closer.

_'7... 6...'_

_Closer._

_'5... 4...'_

_Come on, closer._

_'3...'_

Sand gathers near my shins, waiting for the right time, the ninja now 10 feet away.

_'2...'_

I brace myself for the burst of speed I know is coming. The man leading the small army is just barely able to touch my shirt.

' _1!'_

I jump as high as I can and allow the chakra filled sand to pool under me, creating a platform. The hardened shinobi quietly gasps in surprise before that shock is quickly replaced with determination.

Swiftly shuffling to my knees, I curl up in a ball and send more and more of my chakra to the hovering sand, pushing it as fast as it can go.

And thank goodness that my fastest was fast enough, because all the gathered shinobi stopped right at the end of the entrance fate, staring at me with contempt as I wobbly smile to myself.

I'm out... I'm free... I'll be ok!

Now, to find a place to stop at soon. Even with all my chakra, this platform is still taking quite a bit out of me.

* * *

I had hit the forest in a matter of 4 minutes. Impressive, considering it's my first time actually going at this speed for so long.

I sigh as I splash my face with the fresh water from a stream I found not too long ago, washing all the sweat, grime and shinobi blood from my cheeks.

The platform I made had collapsed a little while ago, so I had to find this place on foot. Lucky for me, it was only a 10 minute walk.

"Well... I'm out. What do I do now? I don't have any other place to stay? Do I search for one? A town maybe? No, father will definitely send hunter-nin after me soon. I should probably try to keep as low a profile as I can." I debate quietly with myself.

Once again breathing out deeply, I drag myself from the creek and sit down against a tree.

 _'I should close my eyes for a bit, to regain some energy.'_ I reasoned. And I was fully intending to do just that... until a random teenager popped up into my line of sight, scaring the living daylights out of me. ' _I didn't even hear him walk up to me! How...'_

The kid appeared to be around 18 or 19 years old with platinum blond hair, chocolate skin and two tattoos. One on his cheek that looked oddly like Ox horns, and a second one on his left shoulder that I couldn't determine the shape of.

"Kid, you good?" He asked, but I payed his question no mind as I continued analyzing the mysterious teenager..

He was wearing shades, and carrying two katanas on his back. Why's he here? Why's he waving at me? Did father send him? How did he get here so fast?

As questions flew through my mind, I nearly killed the guy with my sand when he grabbed my shoulder to pull me out of my thoughts.

Backing up instantly, mystery guy put his hands up to convey his message, 'I am now backing off'.

"I'm not gonna hurt ya kid! 'Just wanted to see if you're ok, ya dig!" The older boy rapped... _rapped?_

"Bee, don't do that, you're gonna scare the kid off with you're atrocious rhymes. Wait, do you know this kid?" A voice called from behind me.

"How am I supposed to know, fool, ya fool!"

Jumping up to my feet in order to see the newcomer, I take in the new teen's appearance as well.

' _Brown hair, orange eyes, a pale blue, extremely loose yukata. He seems younger than the mystery guy, maybe 13? Who are_ _these people?'_ I ask myself.

"Ok then," brown haired kid mumbled before crouching down slowly in front of me, "are you alright, kid? You look a little tired." He asked.

I nod stiffly in return.

"Well, are you with anyone, or are you out here alone?"

I hesitate but answer anyway, quickly telling myself that these people can't _possibly_ be worse than the people back at Suna, "I'm... alone."

"It's dangerous out here by your self. Do you have anywhere I can take you to?"

I answered 'no'.

"Ah, ok, you can travel with us for a little while then. My name's Utakata, this is Bee," a 'YO!' came from my right, "what's your name?"

' _No use lying now, these people don't seem like the type to leave a kid by himself without a fight.'_

"My name is Gaara."

* * *

**_Utakata's pov_ **

"You sensed it too, didn't you, Bee?" I ask my companion.

"Of course I did, I'm not a fool, ya fool!" The ex-kumo nin whispered shouted, stealing glances at Gaara, who was sitting calmly by the stream.

"Who woulda thought we'd run into one of the people we're looking for, saves us the trouble of going through Sunagakure, ya feel me fool, ya fool!"

"Bee, please stop rapping for just _one second._ This is serious, we just ran into the Ichibi's Jinchūriki, this seems awfully lucky. I have a feeling that this is some trick or something set up by the universe."

"Don't be a fool, ya fool!"

"Right, I don't know what got into me. Dang it, do we just... ask the kid? Just blunt and upfront?" I cringed mistake while my fellow Jinchuuriki smirked at me.

' _I've been hanging around Bee far too much.'_ I think to myself.

"Let's just be upfront about it, he might decline, but I doubt it, fool, ya fool!"

Sighing exasperatedly, I turn as walk toward Gaara. Preparing myself for whatever was to come.

* * *

**_Gaara's pov (again)_ **

I look up expectantly at my new traveling companion as he makes his way over to me and sits a comfortable distance away.

"So, Gaara." Utakata said awkwardly before groaning and turning towards me, which made my nerves escalate exponentially.

"I'll just come clean, I know you're the Ichibi's Jinchūriki-" Gaara's heart nearly stopped, "And I want to assure you that you're safe with us. Since we fellow Jinchūriki have to stick together." He explained.

' _These people, hold demons... just like me?'_

"And I have an offer for you, but it's your choice whether you say yes or no." I waited eagerly for Utakata to continue.

"Would you like to get revenge?"

* * *

~ _Flashback end~ (Whoa, that was a doozy *~*)_

We're nearly at the village by now.

Our pace slowed a lot compared to how we started, we can't afford to do that again. Or, more like, we _can_ , but I'd rather not waste any time unnecessarily.

I speed up little by little and Naruto follows suit, by the time we reached the village, the blond and I had had a full blown race to see who could get to the village's outer forest, first.

And then I'm we went, to the right side of the village. It's not the entrance, but it'll do. Once we were officially in the town, we opted to explore the territory a little bit first.

And, even at first glance, one could tell that this was a very lively place.

Children played amongst each other, laughing at teasing each other while the adults watched them with fond smiles on their faces.

Food stalls lined the streets and clothing stores has their colorful items on full display.

Suddenly, a little girl came running up to us. Dark eyes sparking with joy and dark brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail swayed with every happy step she took.

"Are you new here!? I've never seen you two before. Oh! I can show you around if you are!" I didn't care about this, all I wanted was to get information.

"I'm sorry, we're just passing by." I say, "Oh ok! I hope you enjoy you stay misters!" She beamed while waving with both hands. She looked about the age of, what? 8 maybe? It wasn't long until an older boy with similar features as the girl grabbed her hand and pulled her to the side.

"I'm so sorry about my sister!" The boy apologized before walking away reprimanding his sibling.

"It's refreshing to see kids still so happy-go-lucky nowadays." Naruto hummed, smilingly softly. I nodded in agreement.

After the awkward meeting with that girl, we headed to the nearest library (the only library) that was open 24 hours and browsed until we found something we didn't already know.

Disappointingly, the only new information was of a jutsu that the Hidden Cloud uses. Oh well, intel is intel, no matter how much or how little.

By the time we were done, it was the noontime. (Quite a long time to be cooped up in a library, considering that we arrived last night)

We were supposed to go back to the rendezvous point after we searched this town, but Naruto wanted to stay for a bit to eat. I, of course, objected, not wanting to waste time, but Naruto forced me to come by basically dragging me to a ramen shop he saw on the way to the library.

Once we arrived and had been seated, I let Naruto scan the menu as I took in every detail of this place.

From the corner of my eye, I see the same girl from earlier. I watched as the kid hid back into her hiding place, but quickly move to a different spot.

She wasn't subtle at all and she ended up catching Naruto's eye. Upon noticing this, the girl began to approach us. I simply wave like any other person would, and Naruto waves at her too. It wasn't until she got a bit closer did I grab Naruto's wrist and yank him out of his seat, dragging him away as he threw something similar to a temper tantrum. I didn't want to get caught up with that kid, she gives off some creepy vibes, but unfortunately, she follows us.

"GAARA! MY RAMEN!" Naruto complains.

"No." I say.

"BUT GAARA-!"

"No."

He continued on to whine and pout, but I just ignored him. Once we reached the edge of the forest, I decide to take a chance and look behind me.

And there she is, staring back at us.

"Kid, if I may ask, what do you want?" I ask patiently.

"Do you prefer red or white camellias?" She asks us, while tilting her head.

"What?" Naruto asks. She repeats again, with a more annoyed tone, "Do you prefer red or white camellias?" "Umm, both... I guess?"Naruto responded, unsure.

"I don't have an opinion on which color of camellia I'd rather." I answer.

I see her eyes widen like she had just realized something important, all of a sudden she points at me and exclaims, "You look like a red camellia!"

Naruto chuckles as his face grows red from holding in laughter, all while I tilt my head in visible confusion, "A red camellia?" I say uncertainly.

She points at me again, "Yup! You look like a red camellia!" She exclaims, "I don't see red camellias a lot. Actually, I've only ever seen one red camellia, the rest I see are white!" She informs us.

This child peaks my curiosity, I'm ashamed of that fact. I can't afford to let myself get distracted.

I attempt to leave, but the girl grabs my hand, and forces me to stay. "Wait, hold on!" The nameless girl pleas, "Stay for a little while longer! Please?"

"Sorry kid, I can't." I try to explain to her, but she's too stubborn to listen. All the while Naruto is on the verge of passing out from lack of oxygen because of holding his laugh for too long.

After he caught his lost breathe, he talked.

"I still want my ramen." Naruto says coolly.

"You're not getting any." I say sternly while tugging on the hand that this nameless girl won't let go of.

"GAARA. MY RAMEN." He demands.

"I don't give a daaaaaaa-ng(?) about your ramen." I said, suddenly remembering that there is, indeed, a child present.

"Ooh! Ooh! I'll buy you ramen, sir!" The girl in front of us uses this chance as a way to get us to stay.

"Gaara, please, my ramen." Naruto tries to get me onboard with this, but I refuse and tell myself that I won't let him get the best of me.

Eventually, he gets the best of me by saying 'it'll just be ramen!'

To be honest, the only reason I gave in was mostly because he can get annoying fast when he begs. Usually, I'm patient enough for that, but today was a different story.

During our walk back to the restaurant, (NO(make sure you delete this response before you actually upload the chapter please, I'd be embarrassed if you didn't))he starts to make small talk with me for a bit.

"Gaara, after this where are we goin' next?" He asks me,

"It depends." I respond smoothly. We really only travel into and out of populated areas at night, unless it's urgent.

As we near the Ramen Stand, I notice something in the corner of my eye. Stopping in my tracks, I get closer to get a better look.

It's a White Camellia. "Gaara, is something wrong?" Naruto asks me, concerned.

"No, it's fine." I reply.

We enter the Ramen Shop and sit down once again. Naruto orders his ramen, Miso pork with extra narutomaki. I don't order anything, and the kid orders the same thing Naruto does.

We had been waiting for a little while when the girl finally spoke up, "Why were you guys traveling here?" I just look at the kid with an emotionless expression.

"Like Gaara said yesterday, we're just passing through here!" Naruto says with a calm smile.

It never ceases to amaze me how he can be very persuasive without even knowing it. How in the _world_ is he so dense?

The nameless girl starts to twirl her hair with her finger and hum in thought.

"If so, then why go to the library?" The kid asks us, "We were just reading some books." I respond collectedly.

I don't want this kid to get too close to us or the organization.

The kid stops suddenly before slamming her head down on the table, "But the books there are so borrringgg!" the kid tells us while extending the word 'boring'.

"I know right! I hate reading them! But Gaara makes me, he says I have to 'touch up on my education'." Naruto complains to the kid.

She gasps, then points at me, "How dare you, Gaara! I'm not sure, but I think that's your name!" I chuckle softly, not on purpose. Naruto and the girl start laughing along with each other.

Finally, Naruto and the girl's order arrives and they instantly start eating while I settle for just looking at them. My wallets gonna be drained when those two are finished, I can tell.

It's not like I was hungry anyways.

To be completely honest, I still can't figure out who finished first, Naruto of the nameless girl.

"Hey kid, are you supposed to be somewhere? Like at a school or at home?" Naruto asks.

"No, my Nii-San is working! Kind of... he gets food for us so I count that as a job!" The kid tells us, "Sometimes he brings me with him!" She points to herself with a wide smile and one eye closed.

A person who works at this ramen stand comes up to us and asks if this is all we want, "I'll have another bowl, please!" Naruto exclaims, the girl nods in approval, "Uhuh! Me too! I'd like another bowl too!" The kid adds.

I sigh, "I don't want anything, thank you." I say calmly.

"Oh! Oh! If you want, I can show you around the forest!" She tells us.

I look at her as Naruto explains that, "We've already been to the forest."

"That's not what I mean! I mean, like, show you the fruits that grow there, what's safe to eat and what's not, all _that_ stuff." She replies.

This could be useful information, especially the food part. Healing herbs aren't really as essential to Jinchūriki as they are to other people, since housing a Bijuu also gives you advanced healing, but it could still be useful.

After finishing their lunch, the girl put down the money on the table, and starts to get up, in response, we stand up as well.

I want to see all the things she talked about. After all, it could be very good information to have in certain situations.

We leave the Ramen bar, travel farther from the village center and eventually meet the edge of the forest. When Naruto and I were making our way through the forest, we had seen things like berries and and fruit-like plants, we must have past by healing herbs at some point as well.

We trekked not too far into the forest when she slowed down.

"We're almost there! The food and all the other stuff is further down." The girl explained to us.

Nodding towards us and then running off deeper into the forest, we take that as an invitation to continue following her.

I really want to just make our way to the rendezvous point already, but this stuff could be really useful sometime down the road.

I... also might've gotten a little attached to the kid, that's why I don't want to stay any longer than necessary. However, I can't help but wonder what she would do once we were gone.

Up ahead of us, the girl slows down to a casual walking speed, beckoning Naruto and I to do the same as come up on either side of her.

A few more minutes of walking is all it takes for the girl to stop once again, this time, in front of a clearing lined with shrubs and bushes of all kinds.

"The medicinal herbs are around here, but food and edible stuff is still a little ways away." she takes the time to point towards the shadows casted by the trees before turning back to the clearing and sifting through plants.

"What do you think she's doing?" Naruto whispers to me, low enough that only I can hear.

"My guess is that she's trying to find the medicinal herbs she was talking about." I answer.

We watch as she climbs up a tree and picks a strange looking leaf off of one of its branches.

"The herbs here are hard to find if you don't look in the right spots!" She yells as she shimmies her way back down the tree. "You guys should look for some herbs too! They're in places that is hard to get to, or you most likely wouldn't look." Explains the girl as she watched us role up our cloak sleeves and try to locate more of the herbs she showed us.

"Hey hey! Have you heard who Sunagakure appointed as the new Kazekage yet? News doesn't really travel too fast around small town like these, so I only found out a few weeks ago even though they were selected about 2 years ago!" The girl tries to start up a conversation. However, this time, it as conversation I'm actually interested in.

"Who?" I ask, trying and half-failing at making myself sound nonchalant. The reason is because, I, personally, do not like Sunagakure in the slightest, but my older siblings live there.

Although, they didn't really act like siblings when I was around, I still loved them... to a certain degree. And I _do_ still care about them a bit and think about them from time to time. Of course, they could never replace the family I found in the Akatsuki.

"It's this girl named Temari Yu-somethin', I think?" The girl informs me.

My eyes widen slightly at the news.

I'm not sure if it's nice to know that my elder sister is the new Kazekage. It's a shock, definitely, but... I never really imagined her accepting such a high ranking position. There's also another emotion. One different from shock, it was familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

I quickly shelved this emotion for a later date, for I do not want to seem weak in the eyes of am outsider.

I had the urge to ask the girl more questions, but I held my tongue.

We continue to gather herbs for a few more moments before she walks up to me and asks "Gaara, are you ok? You went completely silent when I said who the new Kazekage was. Do you have something against her or what?" She pried.

This girl must not socialize much if she can't determine when a person is down talking or when a person is upset.

"I'm fine" I assure her half-heartedly.

Naruto had went further down a bit before we started talking since she gave him the task of collecting nuts. "Only get nuts! Also, don't eat the berries!" Ok, that part was understandable, especially since Naruto, no matter how strong, intimidating or blood-thirsty he can be, is still definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed.

"I- ummm- whatcha wanna talk about?" I could hear a nervous chuckle come from out of the young girl while saying this.

"Nothing really,"I respond, not once looking up from my job.

"Oh! May I ask why were you guys passing by?" The girl asks.

"We were just traveling through here, you don't need to know the details." My answer didn't seem to satisfy her too much, but that's all I can allow myself to tell her.

"Hmmmm, ok." she sighs.

"We should follow Naruto-nii after we're done with this so that we can help him pick some actually edible berries, how does that sound, Gaara?" She suggested.

"Sure, why not." Ramen can't last us forever, nor does it have any nutritional benefits in the long run. Sure, Naruto wouldn't like getting rid of ramen, but it's what's best.

The girl gives me a bag when we finish gathering the herbs we can find, which is not very many, but it's enough. It's not a very big bag, but it can't exactly be considered ' _small'_ either. Nodding my head in thanks, I place the herbs in the plastic bag and tie the opening shut with a simple knot.

After gesturing for the girl to lead the way, we walk deeper into Obake no mori.

"Did you know that a lot of people don't actually visit our village? Mostly 'cause it's, quote , unquote, _too small for them."_ The girl said, making the quotes with her fingers.

"Though it's rather short-sighted thinking, I understand where they're coming from." I admit, it's a rather small village, not the smallest, but close. Most people want to visit the bigger or main villages, so tourists around these parts are rare, like she said.

The farther we head into the forest, the thicker the foliage gets, as a result, the more nuts and berries there are.

I see the nameless girl plucking some up on the way, I decide to do that too as I untie the bag and follow suit. Picking the berries I think are good to eat and leaving the ones I _know_ aren't. Soon enough, me and the girl's bags were filled with all sorts of different fruits.

As we make our way to where Naruto should be at, I spot a rather peculiar looking berry.

"Hey kid," I wave her back to me, "What are these, they look stranger than all the other berries we've picked." I ask, looking at her in curiosity as she forms her answer.

"Oh! Don't eat those, those are Night Shades, or Nasu-ka, as I like to call them. It'll kill you before it even reaches your stomach." (Why the hunger game reference? Just... why?)She tells me, I'm glad I saw them when I did, who wouldve known what would happen if one of my family members *cough*-Naruto and Bee-*cough* eats it.

"Nasu-ka only grows in this forest, Obake no mori, so you don't have to worry about finding it and accidentally eating it somewhere else." Explains the girl, soothing my oncoming anxiety that 'maybe Bee already ate one!'.

At least now I truly understand why she told Naruto to not eat any berries.

Making out way through Obake no mori in order to find my knuckle head brother, it takes about 10 minutes for Naruto to finally get within range of my senses, and then another 2 in order to see him. Pulsing my chakra slightly, I see Naruto already looking dead at us through the shrubbery, bag half filled.

"We should head back to town, it's getting dark fast." I say as I observe the sky above us. Soft pinks, blues and yellows shine back at us, signaling the end of the afternoon.

Nodding, Naruto jobs to my right side as I turn around to head back, the kid on my left.

It takes about half an hour to reach the village again, by that time, the sun had just dipped below the horizon.

"I-uhhh- I have to go now! I didn't realize how late it was, and my Nii-San will probably be worried about me! It was fun today! Good bye, Naruto-nii! Gaara!" She yells while running ahead of us, waving goodbye until she turned the corner and was out of sight.

This was... troublesome, yes. To have to do this after just meeting someone as nice as her, but we can't have any shinobi know about out existence or our plans quite yet. If they knew, they would inform the main villages, which is something the Akatsuki would rather avoid.

So, a little past midnight, Naruto and I decided that it was best we take out at least half the occupants of this village. We also agreed that we'd save the girl for last, and grant her peace with a swift, immediate death. No pain, no suffering.

This is also a great way to let loose a little bit too, since Naruto's been begging for some sort of assassination mission for who knows how long anymore.

A fact about Naruto that many do not know, is that his thirst for blood is never truly quenched, only suppressed until the right moment strikes. Similar to his fox summons, their craving for blood is never satisfied.

As I watch the blond teen leave into the sleeping neighborhood, I spot a few of his fox summons exit the Obake no mori and fall into step with him.

Nodding to myself, I go to take the other quarter of the village.

On my way there, I see a few civilians with their children walk through the streets. They were all at the park yesterday, so they must've seen Naruto and I. Too bad for them. They should've stayed inside.

I scatter my sand thinly across the ground before pouring more sand on the street. Eventually, my sand wraps around their ankles, holding them in place.

They struggle to move as my sand twists around their figures, squeezing them a bit.

"Sand Coffin." I mumbled before crushing them all to death, blood leaking through my sand and onto the ground they just walked on.

I use various, subtle attacks in order to kill whoever might've seen Naruto and I the day before, dramatically the number of screams, therefore, reducing the number of suspicious civilians that are on the other side of town.

Once I finish off the second to last person we needed to kill, the girl's brother, I calmly walk to the rendezvous point at the edge of the village, near where I saw the girl enter her house with my eye of sand.

I don't have to wait long before Naruto appears in my line of sight with a wide, sadistic smile on his face, flanked two foxes on either side of him. All three were splattered with the blood of his victims.

I don't question his appearance, I'm used to it by now, in fact, I used to be the same way he is now back when I was about 12 years old, so it doesn't affect me much.

"It seems you had fun today." I point out to him, he just smirks back.

"I was just feelin' good today, that's all." Naruto explained, his smile calming slightly as his red eyes and slitted pupils sparkled with glee.

 _'It seems today is one of the days where he actually wants to show emotion, huh...'_ I muse to myself.

Nodding to him, we walk to the girl's house and stop outside the door in order to quietly push it open.

The moment we step

In, we're in the kitchen, it's a fairly decent sized house, so Naruto and I split up to search each room for the girl.

I shuffle up the stairs and open the door nearest to me, this must be her brother's room, it looks rather bland. The next door is open already, so I can tell it's the bathroom.

Grabbing the door knob leading to the last bedroom upstairs, I turn it and open the creaking door to find her sleeping soundly. Dark hair spread wildly on her pillow and face content and neutral.

Humming to myself, I lean over the banister of the stairs and snap my fingers twice, signaling to Naruto that I found her. Naturally, he heard me and made his way up the stairs too, moving to stand behind me as I walked back to her room.

Holding out my hand, I create a sand bullet and have Naruto coat it with the Kyubi's chakra. So that it the bullet doesn't kill her, the chakra _will._

Nodding to him that it was enough chakra, I take my aim and fire straight for head.

There was no sound of a gun shot, no struggle from the victim and overall, it was an instant kill.

Sighing tiredly, I scoop up the young girl's body into my arms, carrying her bridal style, as blood flowed freely out of the bullet wound in her skull.

As I walk through the now desolate part of the village, I can feel her body grow colder and colder by the second. Her lips turning blue and her skin growing paler as time went on. Naruto and I talked a little along the way about nothing in particular, anything from what their cleanest murder was to where the closest open ramen stand is.

Soon enough, we arrived at the field of camellia bushes that we spotted yesterday on our way to town.

Placing her down and leaning her body against a tree separating one camellia bush from another, I then picked a white camellia from the large bush and placed it between her lips.

Her death was a peaceful one, pain not even lasting long enough for her to feel it. In fact, more of the civilians deaths were instant kills. We showed them mercy so that they didn't have to know the pain that came with the Shinobi world.

We didn't let this night affect us. After all, how could it? We've killed many people and have experienced the way of the shinobi first hand. It's not like I enjoy killing the innocent, but it's necessary. Actually, most of us don't enjoy killing innocents or people we became comrades to. So, believe me, if I had a choice, I would've let the girl live. Maybe even would've taken her with us.

As we face east, getting ready to leave once again, I see a camellia.

A red camellia...

Hidden in the sea of white ones.

Picking it gently from the bush, I twirl it between my fingers as it shimmers as bed and blood in the moonlight. After a bit of thought, I decide to keep it, as a small homage to her and her village.

I place it behind my ear, the cartilage will supporting it for as long as the camellia lives.

"Huh, I guess it really _does_ suit you." Naruto chimes quietly from beside me.

"Yeah... I guess it does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being a whopping 8,000+ words by the time I was done editing it. Btw. :D


End file.
